The Rise of Rodimus Prime
by marvelousgameofdisneythrones
Summary: A Bayverse fic. Discover the origins of Hot Rod, and what lead to the rise of Rodimus Prime. He has a much darker backstory than most of us can possibly imagine. See how he interacts with Bots and Cons, and the moments that define who he is.
1. Origins

**Author's note: Okay, so some explanation on this story. It is completely in my head, and is going to cover events starting before the Transformer's civil war, and hopefully ending up somewhere around Age of Extinction. So yes, this is a Bayverse fic. **

**With the liberties that have been taken with some of the classic G1 characters, I decided to take one of my favorites that has not been entered into the Bayverse and give him a dark backstory, which is where this fic begins. **

**This is my first foray into the Bayverse, so if I happen to stomp on any canon, let me know. Also, please give me feedback on this story. The continuation of it depends heavily on your feedback. If people don't seem interested, I may discontinue it and concentrate on other stories. If you like it, say so, and we will see what it takes to witness the Rise of Rodimus Prime.**

* * *

He looked through his scope, surveying the damage he had done. Two shots, and three Transformers were down. And no one knew he was even there. A smile spread across his lip components as he slowly disengaged and drew back down the other side of the ridge, four clicks from his terminated targets. Another successful mission. His employer might even pay extra for that third kill.

Hot Rod stowed his sniper rifle when he reached the bottom of the valley, then transformed and drove away, certain he would not be followed. The group of Transformers would still be trying to figure out what had happened right now.

As he drove, he thought back over the events that had shaped him into the master assassin for hire he had become. Once a peace loving Transformer, he had watched as a group of rebels had descended on his home and destroyed everything he held dear. His friends, his home, all of it, gone. He had only survived because a small party led by a Prime had arrived and terminated the Rebels.

He had been repaired, but the emotional damage had already been done. While he had no love for the rebels, he also had no faith in the Primes. This one had arrived too late to save anyone but him. On that day, he vowed that he would never again be a victim. He would only leave victims behind.

When he was released, his work began. He outfitted himself with weaponry, and practiced daily to master all forms of weapons. He had even trained under the Transformer Ironhide, the greatest weapons expert to ever live. He had taught Hot Rod everything he knew, and trained him in weapons he would never have imagined using.

Hot Rod's arsenal included a plethora of weapons, and his body was practically a walking weapons locker. Permanently mounted to his wrists were a pair of triple-barreled blasters that doubled as his exhaust in vehicle mode. Inside his wrists were hidden what looked like a pair of empty cylinders. Once he held them in his hands and activated them, however, they became a pair of deadly energy swords for close-combat situations. He also carried two shortened shock blasters in his thigh compartments, incredibly powerful but not very accurate over long distances. In one back pod he carried a laser rifle, great for medium range attacks.

His favorite weapon was his sniper rifle, however, that he carried in the back pod under the spoiler across his back. Equipped with a telescopic zoom lens he could link to his on board targeting system, he could remove a Transformer's thumb from a rifle at over five clicks. It was his primary assassination tool, and had been with him for many years. It had served him well again today.

Now, he lived on a hidden asteroid. He monitored transmissions to see if anyone wanted to hire him, or if he could offer his services to anyone. His payment was simple: ammunition and energon. If those couldn't be offered, he would rarely take a hit. It simply wasn't worth his time to do a job for anything else.

Finally he approached a safe exit point. He sped toward the edge of the cliff, and smiled to himself. His wheels left the ground as he drove off the edge and began to fall. 'It is a good thing I am a triple changer,' he thought to himself, then transformed into his space-capable flight mode and took off to rendezvous with the Transformer who had promised him payment for this job.

* * *

Hot Rod flew over the area, noting that his employer had already arrived. Circling around, he approached rapidly, barely slowing before he transformed and landed in a crouch, one fist planted on the ground, his eyes never leaving the other Transformer. Slowly, he rose to his feet and smiled.

"Well, you certainly have a flair for the dramatic, don't you?" the other robot almost laughed in his cruel voice. "I hope you accomplished this mission without bringing attention to yourself."

Hot Rod laughed. "I never draw attention to myself," he replied. "Usually, my presence is only known after the bodies hit the floor and I am long gone. That," he waved behind himself, "was just for fun."

"Indeed," the other Transformer drawled. "So, the mission is complete then? They are both terminated? It will make things much easier for my next step if they are."

Hot Rod was all business now. He brought forth a video unit, and set it between them. A holographic image came to life, and started a playback of his kills. His first shot ripped through the head of one transformer and into the energon core of the one behind him, dropping the first target and an extra. The second shot ripped the energon core out of the second target. All three lay deceased at the end of the playback.

His employer smiled. "Very well done. And an extra kill, impressive," he mused, staring intently at Hot Rod. "I will pay you extra, but I have another offer for you. One that I don't think you will turn down."

"And what offer would that be?" Hot Rod asked carefully. He wasn't nervous, but second jobs often turned out to not be worth the time, so he usually avoided them. But something in this Transformer's voice intrigued him, so he would at least listen.

The other Transformer smiled. "Join me. I have use for someone with your...talents. My forces are unstoppable in most battles, but I foresee some where a few well-placed kills could turn the battle my way quickly."

"And what, exactly, would I be joining?" Hot Rod asked. "And other than orders from you, would I be autonomous? I do not do well in team situations. My team tends to...not survive."

"Oh, you would be completely autonomous, my friend. Other than specific targets I would assign you, you could kill whom you chose, so long as it was not any of my troops. As for what, and who you would be joining...well, let us say the Decepticons are about to rise against the Autobots, and become the rulers of all," the robot before him explained.

Hot Rod smiled. Killing Transformers was what he did. Having targets was even better. A war assured him both. "Count me in," he answered. "Just one question: what do I call my new employer?"

"I am Megatron," came the answer, "and I welcome you to the Decepticons, Hot Rod."

* * *

**So that is chapter one. Yes, not horribly long, but review anyway. Let me know if you think I should continue this.**


	2. Captured On Purpose?

Hot Rod stood in the center of the room, the energon cuffs digging into his wrist joints. Around him, seven Autobots, one of them a Prime, kept him from attempting an escape. Or so they thought. They would never see his plan coming.

He had surveyed the room when he was brought into it. The path here was simple; the command room of the outpost was a long walk down the hallway from the main door. In here, he had spied many things of value to Lord Megatron. First and foremost, the information stored in that supercomputer could be VERY useful, so long as it survived. A map displayed on the wall highlighted several Autobot facilities. Many of them the Decepticons knew about, but some of them he had never known before. That map would be leaving with him.

"So, at last we have captured the infamous Hot Rod, the Decepticons' master assassin," the Prime said, towering over him. "You have killed many, including a few of my Brothers. Sentinal and Optimus will be very pleased to see you torn apart and off lined. But first, we will see what you know of Decepticon strategy.

Hot Rod smiled up at the Prime. He didn't care what his name was; this target, and his companions, would be dead soon anyway.

* * *

His plan was all set. Under cover of darkness, he had planted his explosives and set the receivers last night. Their perimeter sensors weren't even the best he had come across in his line of work, so there had been no issue slipping in and out of the outpost unnoticed. His matte dark gray paint scheme, complete with ghost flames, made him almost invisible to regular optical sensors, and even infrared had trouble picking him up; something about the way he had been repaired years ago had left him with almost no heat signature. For whatever reason, he was also unaffected by cold, unlike most Transformers. He believed the two were connected, but how he didn't know.

So now he laid prone atop a ridge, hiding and waiting. His sniper rifle was loaded and ready, just waiting for a press of the trigger. He slowly surveyed the compound again; still no sight of his primary target, but plenty of secondary ones. Oh he would love to eliminate them all, but it would be fruitless if his primary target didn't fall first.

The footfalls behind him alerted him to the presence of the three Autobots trying to sneak up on him. A smile crossed his lip components. They were right on time. "Don't move!" Their group leader shouted. "You are now in our custody! Place your hands behind your back and remain still! Grind, grab his weapon!"

He was hauled to his feet, and energon cuffs were snapped around his wrists. The one called Grind grabbed his rifle roughly and swung it carelessly. The jostling set off the round in the chamber, and it whizzed right by the group leader's head. "Whoa! Oops, sorry about that boss," Grind apologized.

Hot Rod couldn't help but laugh. "Obviously not the best with weapons, eh Grind?" he taunted the robot. "Hey, that's okay, I'm sure your pals would be fine with you coming to battle with a spanner instead of a gun."

That comment earned him a hard punch to his midsection. He doubled over and chuckled; this was going better than he planned. "That's enough from you!" the group leader bellowed. "You are our captive, you can speak when we tell you to. Now get moving!" A rough shove toward the compound was all the signal he got. He glanced over his shoulder at the Autobots. 'Oh yes, you will all meet your end soon,' he thought to himself.

The three Autobots talked amongst themselves as they all walked. Every now and then, one of them would rough him up a little. Hot Rod was sure it was just a show. 'These three pansies couldn't take on a weak Decepticon, they will never hold me,' he thought to himself. He glanced at Grind, who was carrying the sniper rifle like a fragile valuable. 'Just don't drop the thing, I'd hate to waste ammo sighting it in on your dead carcass,' he chuckled silently.

Soon they entered the compound. At the main check station, it was explained that the group had caught a spy and brought him in for questioning. Another checkpoint stood at the main entrance to the bunker. The guards there received the same embellished tale. Hot Rod almost laughed at how brave these three idiots made themselves sound. If he had wanted, the three of them would have been dead before he had even gotten off the ground back on the ridge.

The Autobots hurried him down the hallway and into the main control room. "Sir," the group leader addressed the Prime leaned over a screen. When the Prime turned, the group leader began again. "We captured this Decepticon spying on our outpost," he commented. "We thought it best to bring him to you for questioning."

"Well done, Autobots," the Prime congratulated them. He studied Hot Rod closely. He approached slowly, three additional Autobots moving to flank him. "Name, rank, and orders, soldier," the Prime commanded.

Hot Rod laughed even louder this time. "Not that it matters, but you have the Honor of addressing Hot Rod. My name should suffice," he told the large robot in front of him.

The Prime shook his head. "This is quite the surprise. I had always been informed that you were impossible to capture, that you killed and left so quickly no one could catch you." He turned to pace for a moment before turning back.

* * *

Hot Rod smiled broadly. "No, I don't think you will see much of what I know of strategy," he answered. Just then, a powerful series of explosions went off, rocking the Autobots around him. When the lights dimmed, a special set of night vision sensors slid down over his eyes.

The Autobots heard a small pop, followed quickly by metal hitting the floor. "What was that?" Grind asked, the slight quake to his voice betraying his nervousness. "Are we under attack?"

"Indeed you are," Hot Rod answered. He had set off the explosives remotely, and a localized EMP in his wrist socket had deactivated the energon cuffs. He quickly brought out his energy swords and activated them. "But not from outside." With a fast, fluid motion, he spun and removed Grind's head from his body, and did not pause to watch him fall.

With blinding speed, he launched himself at the two nearest Autobots. His right blade pierced one's energon core, exploding it and killing him instantly. His left blade was slightly off target, but a quick blast from his wrist blaster solved that problem. The two Autobots fell away, shocked expressions on their lifeless faces.

He heard two of the remaining four Autobots unholster their weapons. Soundlessly, he leapt into the air in a reverse somersault, his blades outstretched. When he landed, the two Autobots found they had nothing past their elbow joints. From a crouch, Hot Rod rose and spun, his blades opening the two Transformers from hip to shoulder across their bodies. They fell away with a life-ending groan.

Finding himself face-to-face with the Prime, Hot Rod waisted no time. He lunged forward, slashing with his blades. Prime had activated his energon blade, and blocked Hot Rod's attack. With a spin, Hot Rod brought first one, then the other blade around toward Prime. His first blade missed, but the second connected, slicing through chest armor but otherwise doing no real damage.

Prime lashed out with a kick, connecting with Hot Rod's leg and bringing him to his knees. The last Autobot in the room took a chance and tried to get Hot Rod in a headlock and immobilize him. Reaching over his shoulder, Hot Rod drove a blade through the other robot's eye sockets and into his head, and the lifeless Transformer fell away.

Turning his attention back to Prime, Hot Rod found himself looking down the barrel of a vicious looking rifle. Almost without thinking, he swung his blades across his body in front of himself, removing the barrel and half the action of the gun, then lunged forward. He crashed into Prime, both of his blades finding a mark in his sides. They toppled to the ground, Hot Rod on top. He rose quickly, and with his hands together drove both blades down into the bigger robot's chest cavity, and his life-giving energon began to pool on the floor under him. Hot Rod watched the light slowly fade from Prime's eyes, then slowly rose from the limp, lifeless body.

Deactivating and stowing his energy blades, he moved quickly to the supercomputer. With a quick diagnostic scan, he located the memory unit, blasted a hole in the panel protecting it, and removed it, disabling the computer in the process. He stowed the unit in his thigh compartment, then turned to the holo map on the wall. Deactivating it and yanking it off the wall, he stowed that too, then started toward the doorway. As he passed, he grabbed his sniper rifle Grind had left there and stowed it in his back pod.

Outside the room, the hallway was wide, open, and straight. Not wanting to waste any more time, he transformed to his flight mode, blasting the main door open as he flew down the hallway. Once outside, he climbed into the evening sky, easily avoiding the few shots fired at him from Autobots on the ground. He activated his boosters and quickly left the atmosphere. He would be well ahead of schedule for his rendevous with Lord Megatron.

* * *

**Author's note: I hope this story is catching your interest. I promised a dark history for Hot Rod, and I hope this is living up to it. Please review and let me know what you think. **


	3. A Friend, and Team Action

Hot Rod strode out of the command center, headed for the room he had converted to his private weapons vault. He tried to ignore the stares he received from other Decepticons as he passed them. When he first joined, he had challenged some who stared, but now he had no choice but to accept them.

He had seen many different feelings in the various stares over time. There were a few who looked on him with admiration. His skills at killing were renowned throughout the ranks of the Decepticons, and some tried to replicate his abilities. Most were unsuccessful, but a few managed to not die trying. Others looked on him with fear because of those same skills. He had offlined four Primes, one of them in hand to hand combat; no other Decepticon aside from Lord Megatron had been able to take down a Prime. That meant he could easily take out any one of them.

But the stares he found most unnerving were the stares of envy. Too much envy, and he could find himself fighting Decepticons right here. Lord Megatron favored him, and everyone knew it. This created a rift between him and most others, not that he minded too much; he preferred to be alone. Staying alone kept him from making friends, friends that could be lost in battle, losses that could lead to flashbacks. He still suffered from those while resting, and so tried not to very often.

As he approached his 'quarters,' as he called it, he noticed another Decepticon leaning against the wall. Hot Rod slowed, his killing reflexes instantly heightened. Glancing around, he searched the surroundings for any evidence of an ambush. Finding none, Hot Rod continued forward, still on edge.

The other Transformer pushed away from the wall and turned to face him. "So, Hot Rod, back from another mission?" he asked, seeming genuinely interested. "How many did you finish off this time?"

Hot Rod stopped a few meters away. "Enough," was his only reply. He slowly began charging his wrist blasters; he was not about to be unprepared for combat. "What do you want?"

The other robot smiled. "Oh, yeah, I forgot we haven't been introduced. The name's Octane," he informed Hot Rod. "I run supplies for the Decepticons, mostly, but I've been in a few battles. I'm a big fan of your work. I'm...not the best with a weapon."

Hot Rod was taken aback by the brutal honesty of this particular Decepticon. Most hid behind some kind of facade, or at least embellished their past; Octane was a straight shooter, blunt but friendly. "That's a shame," Hot Rod replied. "Well, running supplies is a necessary part of war. As long as you're decent at it, Lord Megatron will keep you around."

Octane laughed. "I'm the best he's got. His only other runner that is worth anything is Astrotrain, but he can't pull off precision drops like I can," he answered. "So, you're a triple changer too? I'm surprised at how many of us there are. I thought I was a rare thing until I joined up."

Hot Rod smirked. Octane was indeed a friendly fellow, and a talker. "Yes. Always have been one, though I didn't use it much until I became what I am," he explained, feeling himself opening up. Octane reminded him of a friend from before, someone who no longer existed.

Octane smiled in return. "Well, I can see you're busy and probably need to rest after your mission. When you are free, we'll chat more. See you later, friend." With that, he transformed and drove away.

Hot Rod stared after him for a long moment, warring with his emotions. He had long ago locked away the idea of having friends, yet Octane had just smashed through all of his defenses in a matter of minutes. Shaking his head, he went into his quarters. 'Pull it together. You can't afford friends,' he thought to himself. 'Friends die. And you might die trying to save them.'

* * *

Days later, Hot Rod stood hidden on the outskirts of the settlement. He was filled with disgust at the mission, and anger at Lord Megatron. He had been promised no teamwork, yet here Hot Rod stood, trying to lead a team on a recon mission as a prelude to a full scale invasion. Oh, he understood the need for someone who could get the intel without being seen, but a promise had been broken, and it grated against him.

Signaling the go-ahead, he moved toward the settlement, the rest of his team moving in from other directions. It seemed too quiet, too still, almost like they were expected. He didn't like this one bit, and now he was going to be responsible for all five of his teammates if things went ill.

Hot Rod moved silently through the settlement, seeing no movement. When he finally reached the center, he looked around, watching the rest of his team approach. 'What is going on here?' he thought to himself, all of his sensors working to try to find SOMETHING. When he finally did, it was almost too late.

"Scatter!" He shouted as the rocket streaked toward them. They all managed to roll away just as it slammed into the ground right where he had been standing. Hot Rod pulled his laser rifle, looking in the direction the rocket had come from. He could barely see what looked to be the top of a Transformer's head, and he took the shot; he hit his target, though how well he couldn't say.

To the rest of his team, he issued a command. "Everybody, transform and bug out!" he shouted over the sounds of blaster fire and explosions. "We've been set up!" He brought up his heat sensors, and found at least two dozen Autobots on the rooftops in front of them. Who knew how many were working their way around to cut them off.

His team did as commanded, transforming as a group and flying at low level down the wide boulevard behind them. He was the last, and took out a couple more Autobots before he too transformed and took off.

He watched his team turn a corner in front of him, but before he made it, the street they had turned on erupted in blaster fire and explosions. Hot Rod landed, transforming back to his robot mode, his rifle in hand. He glanced around the corner and was greeted by an ugly sight: only one of his team was still alive, and the group five of Autobots moving in on him would make sure he didn't stay that way for long. 'Well, it's now or never,' he thought to himself.

Hot Rod pulled one of his shock blasters as well, then charged around the corner. He fired wildly with the shock blaster, using it simply to disorient and injure his opponents. With his rifle, he landed a lethal hit on two of his opponents. One fell away offlined, the other in extreme agony. As he closed in, he swapped his rifle for an energy blade.

Two of the remaining three Transformers rushed him. 'Big mistake, boys,' he thought to himself. The closest one engaged him, but a quick sidestep and a slash with his sword ripped his opponent nearly in half. Using his momentum, Hot Rod spun, bringing his shock blaster up to the face of the second. Without hesitation, he pulled the trigger, watching as the blast tore half of the Autobot's face components away. A quick jab with his blade finished the kill.

Apparently the last Autobot realized who he was up against, and threw down his weapon and turned to run. Hot Rod considered chasing him down for only an instant, then saw his remaining teammate, and knew he had to get him out of there. He put away his weapons, knelt, and lifted him off the ground; transforming to vehicle mode, Hot Rod carried him out of the settlement and made for their extraction point, broadcasting the retrieval transmission.

When he reached the extraction point, he found a transport waiting for him. He transformed and carried his unconscious teammate aboard, strapping him down as the shuttle took off and headed for Decepticon headquarters, easily avoiding the anti-aircraft fire. 'Whoever this pilot is, he's good,' he thought to himself.

Hot Rod made his way to the cockpit, and instantly recognized the figure piloting. He slid into the next chair, looking over the gauges. "Thanks, Octane. I owe you."

Octane glanced over and smiled. "Don't mention it, pal. Just promise to do the same for me someday."

Hot Rod nodded silently, a smile coming to his lip components. It had been too long since he'd had a friend. Maybe it was time for a new one. Maybe this one was worth risking.

He settled in, thinking about the very angry conversation he would be having with Lord Megatron when they returned.


	4. Help!

**Author's note: Been away from this for a while. And I just am stuck. I know where I want it to go, but I'm missing a lot of what happens in between. So I guess I'm looking for some suggestions, maybe, or some things you all might want Hot Rod/Rodimus to see or do. I will give one hint: his transformation will come during a rather epic battle, and if you thought he was a bada$$ before, wait until he becomes a Prime. **

**My problem is that I don't know how exactly I want to get to that battle. I'm working on it, but it just isn't progressing well. So please, send me ideas either in PMs or reviews, and I'll get back to you all. Until then, keep on rollin!**


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